Sketching Street Scenes

For the artist, street scenes make dramatic and fascinating subjects teeming with interest. These suggestions will help you turn what you see into drawings. Artist John Marsh gives you ideas for choosing materials, keeping a sketchbook, drawing people quickly, and working as unobserved as possible in an urban setting. See the elements that can make your street scenes more interesting, like landmarks and street furniture, storefronts and signs, and vehicles. Try the techniques for perspective; tone, light, and shade; drawing architectural forms and other objects within a landscape; and composition. Bonus: hints on the seasons, times of day, and changing light and atmosphere. Markets, monuments, cafes, and more will become potential subjects to sketch. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.